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Goodbye to Plastics?

Plastic is an amazing material: it is light, strong, flexible and cheap to produce. But it has two big drawbacks: it’s made from petroleum, of which we have limited supplies, and it doesn’t decompose easily. Humans throw away billions of tonnes of plastic every year. A tiny portion of it is now biodegradable, but the vast majority will sit in landfill sites for centuries.

What if we could make plastic from renewable biomaterials instead of petrochemicals? This possibility intrigues Emma Master, a professor of chemical engineering. In her lab in the Wallberg Building’s “BioZone,” she is investigating how to use plants to create new materials and chemicals. Read more.

April 12, 2013

Volume 30, Issue 12

In this issue:

Research Office
Notices
Chem Eng Events

Research Office

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Call for Expressions of Interest - Smart Drinking Water Distribution Systems

OCE is partnering with NSERC to fund innovative projects across Ontario that focus on cost-effective technologies for asset management and infrastructure rehabilitation that conserve water and energy. OCE will invest up to $300k from its Special Energy Fund. It is expected that industry will co-invest by contributing cash and in-kind to the project. Applicants are welcome to submit proposals not exceeding an OCE ask of $100k. For more information on program guidelines and the EOI application form, visit http://www.research.utoronto.ca/research-funding-opportunities/ontario-centres-of-excellence-oce-call-for-expressions-of-interest-smart-drinking-water-distribution-systems/

Marie Curie International Fellowships

The EU Marie Curie Fellowship program is offered by the European Commission and is designed to help create long-term collaborations and mutually beneficial cooperation between Europe and Canada. Fellowships are for a minimum of 12 months.

Internal Deadline: August 9, 2013
Sponsor Deadline: August 14, 2013

For more information, visit http://www.research.utoronto.ca/research-funding-opportunities/marie-curie-international-incoming-outgoing-fellowships/

Canada-Africa Research Exchange Grants (CAREG)

The CAREG program supports short-term exchanges between Canadian and African universities and research institutes for research collaborations that address one or more of the International Development Research Centre’s (IDRC) program areas. IDRC Program Areas:

Agriculture and the environment
Global health policy
Science and innovation
Social and economic policy

Internal Deadline: Thursday May 16, 2013
Sponsor Deadline: Wednesday May 22, 2013

For program guidelines and application form, visit http://www.aucc.ca/programs-services/international-programs/canada-africa-research-exchanges/

Mitacs - 2014 Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship program - Intent to Apply

The Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship program supports recent PhD graduates to work on a joint industry-academia research project for two years. Fellows lead the collaboration and spend about half of their time at the university and half at the company. In addition, Mitacs provides the fellows with business skills training so they are well positioned to take on R&D leadership roles at the end of the program. For more info and the intent to apply form, visit http://www.mitacs.ca/elevate/apply

Notices

CEGSA's Spring Formal: Friday, June 7

Save Friday, June 7 in your calendar for CEGSA's Spring Formal. This year's dinner/dance will be held at Hart House and will host a delicious buffet dinner and open bar. More details, including ticket price, will be available soon. All grad students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend the event.

2013 Safety Training Schedule

Part I: In-Person training presentation, Friday, May 03, 2013, 9:30 to 11:30 am, WB-116
Part II: On-line training (to be completed by the students prior to the in-person exam)
Part III: In-Person Examination, Wednesday, May 08, 2013, 10:00 to 10:30 am, WB-116

The training is compulsory for all other summer students/personnel, including those in volunteer positions and on co-op placements.

LOT | Chem Summer Program

LOT|Chem Summer Program is a learning initiative program for students to learn about leadership through the process of self-discovery and team-building. Currently we are looking for alumni who would be interested in sitting on a panel to discuss their leadership path to success. If you know of alumni who are available from 1:30 pm to 4:00pm on Friday, July 5, please contact Cecilia Konney at cecilia.konney@utoronto.ca

Speaker Recommendations: ECE's Engineering Entrepreneurship Series

ECE is looking for speaker recommendations for next year’s Engineering Entrepreneurship Series. The department would like to include speakers from various disciplines. If you know of an entrepreneur in your field who would be a strong candidate, please send your recommendation to susan.grant@utoronto.ca

Special Lecture

On Wednesday, April 17 from 3-4pm in room 106 of the Health Science Building located at 155 College Street, Dr. Danica Stanimirovic of the National Research Council of Canada will present Domain Antibodies: Building Blocks for Brain-targeting Imaging Agents and Therapeutics. Click here for more info.

Celebrating Engineering Excellence

Dean Cristina Amon invites all faculty and staff to attend the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering's 6th annual Celebrating Engineering Excellence Reception on Wednesday April 24, 4-6pm in GB202, to recognize the recipients of major honours, awards and research grants, celebrate all your successes, and look back on another outstanding academic year. This reception will feature the presentation of the Faculty's staff, research and teaching awards. RSVP by email to reception.engineering@ecf.utoronto.ca by Wednesday, April 17.

Global Health Symposium

IBBME will be hosting a one-day Global Health Symposium on Monday, April 22. For more info, click here.

Frontiers in Biotechnology

On May 9, BioZone will host a 1-day research symposium titled "Frontiers in Biotechnology" to coincide with the visit of a large contingent of researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. This event is free; please register through http://www.biozone.utoronto.ca/content/research-symposium-frontiers-biotechnology

Chem Eng Events

Click here for the Chem Eng Calendar

June 1, 2013 - Spring Reunion: Undergrad Common Room, 11:30-12:30pm

June 7, 2013 - CEGSA's Spring Formal: Hart House, 6:00pm-midnight

June 19, 2013 - Spring Convocation Tour, Lunch and Ceremony: More details available soon, 10am - 4:30pm

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CHEM ENG NEWS is a weekly summary of news, events and opportunities for students, faculty and staff of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. If you have questions or comments, please contact: external.chemeng@utoronto.ca . Catch up on missed issues by visiting our archive.